“I believe, Eragon, that you are full of love and that you are looking for one who will reciprocate your affection. No shame exists in that.”
-Christopher Paolini
Definition
Reciprosexual is an orientation on the asexual spectrum. A reciprosexual person does not experience sexual attraction unless they know that the other person is sexually attracted to them first. Reciprosexuality is considered part of the asexual spectrum because a reciprosexual person does not experience sexual attraction on its own. You can be reciprosexual and bi, gay, or straight, but you do not have to be. Some people who are reciprosexual do not have a gender preference, so their reciprosexuality applies to any person of any gender that shows sexual attraction to them. Some do have a specific gender preference and will only show sexual attraction to someone in alignment with their orientation, such as a gay reciprosexual.
Reciprosexuality Judgment
There is often judgment that is lobbed on people who are only attracted to someone once that person is attracted to them first. People say it is a sign of low self-esteem. It is not. Reciprosexual is not an orientation that a lot of people are familiar with, and what they do not understand is that you are not withholding sexual attraction. A reciprosexual person is simply not even experiencing it until someone else does first.
Am I Ace?
A reciprosexual person can definitely be asexual but that is not always the case. Reciprosexuality is on the asexual spectrum because the orientation demonstrates a specific type of sexual attraction that responds to a requirement. Without that requirement there is no sexual attraction, which is Ace. Once a reciprosexual person connects with someone they may well have a strong sexual attraction from that point forward with that specific person.